Review of "Artemis Fowl"

By Eoin ColferMiramax, 2001Review by Su Terry on May 27th 2004

Artemis
Fowl(Artemis Fowl, Book 1) by EoinColferis a well-written, fun-filled
fantasy for children. It tells the story of Artemis Fowl, a 12-year boy genius
and anti-hero that sets out to outwit the race of fairies and steal their gold.

Artemis
Fowl is set on a family estate on the outskirts of modern day Dublin,
Ireland. Artemis Fowl
Senior, a wealthy Irish crime lord, wanted to go straight and gain
respectability as a legitimate businessman. Unfortunately, he disappeared when
his ship, the Fowl Star, sank in an attempt to deliver 250,000 cans of cola to Siberia.
His wife, Angeline Fowl, went insane and moved into
the manor's attic. His son, Artemis Fowl Junior, the book's hero and his father's
sole heir is convinced that his father is still alive and spends all his time
and almost all the family's fortune trying to find him. When the money began to
run out, Artemis devised a plan to steal gold from the race of fairies living
underground and known as "The People."His plan was simple. He would kidnap a fairy
and hold it for ransom. Unfortunately for him and fortunately for the author
and the reader, he did not count on the ingenuity of Holly Short, the fairy he
kidnapped. Holly Short is a captain of the LEPrecon (Lower Elemental Police
Reconnaissance) an elite force trained in dealing with the "Mud People"
(humans). Julius Root, the commander of the LEPrecon, utilizes a unique group
of resources to release Holly including, Foaly, a
techie centaur, Mulch Diggums, "a kleptomaniac dwarf", and contrary to his wishes, a
dimwitted troll. Artemis has on his side Butler,
his trusted bodyguard, and Julie, Butler's
sixteen-year old valley girl sister. Artemis has the fairies outwitted at every
turn until he makes one devastating mistake.

Artemis Fowl is riding on the
popularity of Harry Potter, but is
unique in its own way. First, Artemis Fowl is an anti-hero. He is the supposed
villain in the series, yet while he is smug and obnoxiously spoilt rich kid, he
is delightfully likable. Second, unlike Harry and his friends at Hogwart, Artemis is completely human. Although he is a
genius and very, very rich one at that, he has only human skills for outwitting
the fairy race. Finally, unlike Harry who has his teachers to pull him out of
every sticky situations, Artemis has only his loyal human servants, Butler
and Julie, to help him. Artemis must, in effect, not only save himself but also save them.

EoinColfer
is a former elementary school teacher. His first novel, Benny and Omar, was a bestseller in Britain. Artemis Fowl is his
first novel released in America. It has won numerous
awards including: W. H.
Smith Book Award, British Book Award, Whitbread Book
of the Year Award: Shortlist, Lancashire County Library Children's Book Award:
Shortlist, and Bisto Book of the Year: Shortlist. Currently there are three books in the Artemis
Fowl series, Artemis Fowl (2001); Artemis Fowl: the Artic Incident (2002);
and Artemis Fowl: the Eternity Code
(2003). (Film rights have already been purchased for the Fowl series.) He has also recently published two independent
novels, The Wish List (2003) and The Supernaturalist
(May 2004). EoinColfer
lives in Ireland with his wife and son. He has just published
He has two websites: www.artemisfowl.com and www.eoincolfer.com

Artemis
Fowl(Artemis Fowl, Book 1) by EoinColferis the First Book in the "Artemis Fowl series". The
series is interesting, but not as challenging to read for a young reader or as
daunting to lift as the Harry Potter
series. The book is recommended for ages 10 years and up. I recommend this
book.

Su Terry: Education: B.A. in History from
Sacred Heart University, M.L.S. in Library Science from Southern Connecticut
State College, M.R.S. in Religious Studies/Pastoral Counseling from Fairfield
University, a M.Div. in Professional Ministry from
New Brunswick Theological Seminary, a Certificate in Spirituality/Spiritual
Direction from Sacred Heart University. She is a Licensed Minister of the
United Church of Christ and an Assistant Professor in Library Science at DowlingCollege, Long
Island, NY.